The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action during day four of round nine of the Vitality County Championship in 2024
Chelmsford (day one of four): Durham 445-4, Essex
Alex Lees and Ollie Robinson's contrasting centuries saw Durham pour a deluge of runs down on Vitality County Championship title rivals Essex.
Opener Lees commanded the crease in his 113, while Robinson took the bowlers on with gusto for an unbeaten 146 – both grabbing their second hundreds of the campaign.
David Bedingham missed out on a fifth three-figure score on the bounce but assisted the milestone-makers with a sublime 65, as he passed 800 Championship runs this year.
Essex's only positive on an otherwise dispiriting day, was overseas debutant Eathan Bosch claiming two wickets as Durham racked up 445 for 4.
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Nathan Lyon was back in the wickets for Lancashire at Canterbury (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Canterbury (day one of four): Kent 244, Lancashire 38-1 - Lancashire trail by 206 with nine first-innings wickets in hand
Lancashire were 38 for 1, trailing Kent by 206, after day one of their Vitality County Championship relegation showdown at Canterbury.
Josh Bohannon and Luke Wells were unbeaten on 22 and 14 respectively at stumps, after Beyers Swanepoel had bowled Keaton Jennings for a duck.
Earlier George Balderson and Nathan Lyon took three wickets apiece for second-from-bottom Lancashire, as they bowled out the division's basement side for 244.
Tawanda Muyeye was Kent's highest scorer with 59, while Ben Compton made 55.
Although both sides have struggled all season, the crowd for the first day of the 172nd Canterbury week was estimated at over 2,000. Cars were queueing for half a mile down the Old Dover Road and moving so slowly that they were overtaken by hundreds of pedestrians walking up the hill.
Trent Bridge (day one of four): Nottinghamshire 362-8, Somerset
Fast bowler Olly Stone's unbeaten 74 led a Nottinghamshire recovery from 190 for 7 to 326 for 8 on day one of their County Championship match against Somerset at Trent Bridge.
The England quick, who began this season with only one half-century to his name in 46 first-class matches, now has two in his last three following his 90 against Lancashire last month.
He shared an eighth-wicket stand of 112 with Calvin Harrison to give the day a different complexion after Joe Clarke (51) and Jack Haynes (55) had put on 108 for the fourth wicket but been unable to kick on, seamer Kasey Aldridge the main driver of a Nottinghamshire mid-innings collapse that saw four wickets fall for 11 runs.
Aldridge, in the Somerset side for the first time since April following an injury to skipper Lewis Gregory, finished the day with 4 for 90, South African seamer Migael Pretorius taking 3 for 73.
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Olly Stone was an unlikely star with the bat for Notts (Getty Images)
Edgbaston (day one of four): Hampshire 298, Warwickshire 51-2 - Warwickshire trail by 247 runs with eight first-innings wickets in hand
In-form Hampshire produced a patchy performance with the bat against Warwickshire on the opening day of their County Championship match at Edgbaston.
James Vince's side arrived in Birmingham seeking a third successive championship win but, having chosen to bat on a good pitch, were bowled out for 298. Only Fletcha Middleton (74 from 135 balls) passed 50 against a seam attack which extracted every ounce of assistance available from the conditions.
Olly Hannon-Dalby was the pick of the bowlers. His first wicket was his 350th in first-class cricket and he built pressure in every spell on his way to 16-5-35-3. The Yorkshireman was well-supported by Ed Barnard (3 for 61) and Craig Miles (3 for 71).
In 12 overs before the close, Warwickshire replied with 51 for 2, Kyle Abbott removing both openers in four balls in the penultimate over.
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New Road (day one of four): Surrey 340-5, Worcestershire
It was normal service resumed for leaders and champions Surrey on day one of the County Championship match with Worcestershire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
Surrey had suffered an innings and 278 runs defeat against Hampshire in their previous Championship fixture at the Utilita Bowl ahead of the Blast in contrast to their previous four-day form.
But fifties from Dom Sibley and Jamie Smith laid the foundations before Dan Lawrence and Ben Foakes increased the tempo during the final session during a stand of 131 in 35 overs.
Foakes fell just before the close – to a fourth catch for Adam Hose – but Lawrence remained undefeated on 91 from 126 balls.
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